Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

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I'm wondering if anyone has been to this site? I'm considering a short trip (few days) with a few mates who share an interest in aviation, to visit the B24 Liberator "Beautiful Betsy" crash site. I cant find much info on it. I believe there is a 4wd drive track that takes you to, or close to it. Would be interested to hear if anyone here has been there. The EPA/QPWS website has limited info on this.

Any reports or info would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Mark

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

I thought it rang a few bells...

http://forums.overlander.com.au/view...asc&highlight=

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Thanks Snaga, thats a nice report from Slider on overlander. Perfect !

Cheers

Mark

[pearlie Member Find all posts View Profile Close pearlie]

Hello from Waterford in Ireland. Still going around the UK and still have Italy and Venice to go .. someone has to do it!!! Mind you, the driving is much easier to tolerate over here. At least they have road rules. They do however drive with hands firmly planted on the horn, same as Egypt.
8) 8)
About the beautiful Betsy, been there and done that. Got the pictures but not the computer to post them. Camped out over night and had a camp oven dinner at the homestead nearby.
One overwhelming memory was not to go when it had just been raining. At least not without decent treaded tyres. The road surfacing is trecherous. I tried it without my trusty BFG's and slid several meters down the bendy, windy road. :shock: :shock:

Anyway, now that all the water has subsided (hopefully) that may not be a problem. Biloela is a must do spot. If you get a chance, go to Mt Scoria also. There is enough to do for weeks around the Banana shire.

Gotta go running out of time...
Bye #

[McBAIN Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close McBAIN]

Hello from Waterford in Ireland. Still going around the UK and still have Italy and Venice to go .. someone has to do it!!! Mind you, the driving is much easier to tolerate over here. At least they have road rules. They do however drive with hands firmly planted on the horn, same as Egypt.
8) 8)

aah, good to see commitment to the cause. gallivanting around Europe and still have time to log in and check PP!

[Snowy FNQ Member Find all posts View Profile Close Snowy FNQ]

Went there about three years ago, excellent to visit the wreck of a WW2 aircraft without climbing mountains on foot. The general drive around the park was good, from memory the best camp site was not far from when you first enter the park near a creek too (I think). It seemed to be the general camp ground. There are some good views from the escarpment (South from memory) too. Get directions to the plane it was a bit tricky to find it, but if I can do it, anyone can. It was a good drive not overly challenging in a 95 series. Take your camera you will enjoy it.

[Rusty62 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rusty62]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

Great place. We went late december 09 and were the only ones in the park. Good camp site at the 'Wall'. The national parks have errected boards at the crash site. Very informative. Difficult navigation at night if you want to go to Monto or Cania george.

[Sunday Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sunday]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

As a "local" to the area (3 hrs away counting the trek in to the crash site from the eastern escarpment of Kroombit), I've been up there many times. It's quite a moving experience, especially if you take in the circumstances of the crash (including the fact that 2 British Spitfire pilots were hitching a ride with the B24 Yankee crew. One Brit was on his way to get married, the other was to be his best man :cry: ). It's certainly one of the most accessible warbird crash sites around. I've actually spoken to the guy who discovered the wreck (in 1994 from memory). Up until that point it was one of the most enduring missing warbird mysteries from WW2.

The alternate trek back to the eastern side can be a bit treacherous (there's a sheer drop of 70 metres or so in places if you slide off the left hand side) , especially if badly cut up by boofheads....

Sunday

[Rusty62 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rusty62]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

The one way track from the crash site to 'The Wall' is rocky and steep. We towed our offroad camper and only needed low range in the auto. Tried out the hill desent button but was not needed.
We only had the original tyres on for this trip and in the mud holes on the way in the traction control light was going mad. The new BFG's have fixed this.
Thinking of going back over easter this year for some serious time in front of the campfire.

[4wd26 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 4wd26]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

http://forums.overlander.com.au/view...light=kroombit
My trip report in Sept 2009

Very moving place. really enjoyed the trip

[xlr8_87 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close xlr8_87]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

Sounds fascinating!
Does anyone have any more detailed instructions on how to get there? Read the attachment but didn't really pin point it anymore. Although the map picture might help.

Want to try and get there one day, but it's a bit of a drive from Melb so want to make sure I actually find it!

[Sunday Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sunday]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

Sounds fascinating!
Does anyone have any more detailed instructions on how to get there? Read the attachment but didn't really pin point it anymore. Although the map picture might help.

Want to try and get there one day, but it's a bit of a drive from Melb so want to make sure I actually find it!

Turn off the Bruce Highway at Calliope (there's a crossroads on the highway, if coming from the south, Calliope is off to the left, Gladstone is off to the right). You drive through Calliope on the Biloela Road, about 4 kms along the Biloela Road, turn left onto Many Peaks Road. About 1.6 kms along this road you turn right onto Tablelands Road. Basically you then follow this road all the way up to Kroombit Tops, it's mostly unsealed road. If you take it easy it'll take just under an hour to get from Calliope to the top of the range (it's quite a scenic climb on the way up). At the top of the range you'll drive past an old forestry barracks and a few kms past this (maybe 3 or 4) you'll come to a fork in the road. Take the track heading off to the right which from memory is sign-posted something like "To Western Escarpment" (the turn off to the left will take you to the Eastern Escarpment where there's quite a spectalular lookout. As it's only a couple of kms away it's worth checking this out before heading back to the fork to head on over the Western Escarpment where the B24 is).

The track to the Western Escarpment is a bit rough in patches, particularly if it's been raining & the track gets chopped up. I'm not sure how many kms it is across to the Western escarpment but it'll take around 40 more minutes to get there. You'll come to to a sign that (for the first time) tells you you're approaching the Liberator crash site. Turn off to the left here (as sign posted) & it's only a km or 2 to the site. As someone else said there's a good camp site at The Wall (a natural rock face structure), though the track from the crash site to The Wall (again, only a km or 2) is a bit rough but ok if you take it easy. If you get to The Wall you can keep going on an alternate loop road back to near the barracks and this is the road that can be a bit hairy in places (stay in 4WD) but again, with spectacular gorge views (Kroombit Creek Gorge) if you stop here and there to look.

It's worth camping at least overnight in Kroombit Tops. Other than the B24 site, there's other interesting features including natural forest land (kind of dry rainforest in nature), escarpments, running creeks if it's rained recently etc. etc. You'll need to be a self-contained camper: there are no facilities (e.g. no toilets, water or camping structures).

Here's a couple of photos. First, the tail section of the B24. It's the most recognisable feature of the wreckage: the fuselage is obliterated all over the mountain side.



Here's aview from the Eastern Escarpment (looking towards the Boyne Valley & Gladstone on the coast). The lookout itself is built out over the drop, a bit hairy if you don't have a head for heights...:




Cheers,
Sunday

[xlr8_87 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close xlr8_87]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

awesome directions sunday! thanks!

might have to plan a week or something up there at some stage.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

Excellent work on the directions Sunday, never knew about this until i read this thread. we will definately put it on our must do list when we go past later this year. You have gotta love the varied information and huge amount of pooled knowledge available on PP.

Cheers Andrew

[Rusty62 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rusty62]

Re: Kroombit Tops - "Beautiful Betsy" B24 Crash site

Have spoken to the Park today 25-03-2010 to be informed the park will most likely be closed for the easter break because of the rain (1000mm ) over the last month or so. Also some 4wders have been through the park and caused a lot of damage to the tracks. The park will reopen after the tracks have dried out enough to be be worked on.
Rats as we were booked to go this easter and will now need somewhere else to go.